Thursday, May 30, 2019
Friday, May 24, 2019
iOS 13 release date, news and rumors
Update: iOS 13 is likely landing on June 3 and ahead of that we've heard rumors about Dark Mode and Siri improvements.
iOS 13 will be the biggest tech news in less than two weeks if you own an iPhone or iPad, as several new features are rumored in advance of Apple WWDC 2019.
Rumored iOS 13 features include Dark Mode, stackable app windows on iPad, and a long-overdue home screen redesign. Existing apps will also get a fresh coat of paint.
Our first look at the iOS 13 update is almost certainly Monday, June 3, according to Apple's ironclad history of launching new mobile software at its annual developer keynote.
Here's another historical pattern: Apple typically makes dramatic iPad changes every two years, and that means we're due a tablet-sized software update in 2019. Think about the rumored mouse support and ability to use the tablet as a second screen.
To be clear, we've heard about some of these ideas before, but the changes were reportedly scrapped in favor of iOS 12 and iOS 12.3 stability. It's time for Apple to usher in good news for iPhone and iPad users and help boost the company's sluggish iPhone sales, especially if iPhone 11 won't change things much.
Ready for a long list of brand new iOS 13 features? Here's everything we know in the lead up to June 3.
iOS 12.3.1 Released: Here's All You Need To Know About This Surprise Update
Bugs!
This release is mostly about squishing bugs – though the fact that it has come so very soon after the release of iOS 12.3 suggests there was an air of urgency about it.
Topmost among these is an issue that could prevent VoLTE calls happening, in both directions.
As you’ll know VoLTE means Voice over LTE and reflects the fact that voice calls have for some time now been made on 4G – something that will continue when 5G services are live, I believe.
So to lose the capability to make phone calls on your, you know, phone, is a pretty serious thing.
More Bugs!
The Messages app is the next area of concern. Even if you have Filter Unknown Senders enabled in messages, it’s possible you could still see messages from complete strangers and this update sets out to put that right.
The third thing to be fixed concerns junk messages. The link that allows you to report messages from unknown senders as junk may have gone missing and this update should ensure that it’s back.
How to get it
To download the update, open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update. Note that it can take a little while sometimes for all eligible devices to be ready to download it. It’s a reasonably small update, so it shouldn't take long to download and install.
Here are Apple’s full release notes for the update
- Fixes an issue that could prevent making or receiving VoLTE calls
- Fixes issues in Messages that could cause messages from unknown senders to appear in your conversation list even though Filter Unknown Senders is enabled
- Fixes an issue that could prevent the Report Junk link from appearing in Messages threads from unknown senders
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Monday, May 6, 2019
Apple iOS 12.3 Public Beta 4 Creeps Closer To Final Release
Apple is squeezing in one last release for April 2019 with iOS 12.3 Public Beta 4.
Even better, that iOS update dropped late night/early morning for Public Beta testers. That short turnaround time between developer release and Public Beta release is a sure sign that Apple is more confident in the software package. More confidence means that we're getting closer to seeing iOS 12.3 released to the general public.
So what's in this release anyway?
What's New
The star of iOS 12.3 has been the Apple TV app. It's big redesign was one of the focuses of the March keynote and its apparent that Apple wants to roll the new experience out as quickly as possible. The app hews much closer to the tvOS app in overall layout and acts as a kind of service aggregator.
Rather than fling you all over your iOS device to watch your streaming shows, you'll be able to access that same content from within the Apple TV app. There are also new ad-free, downloadable, Family Share-ablesubscriptions that you can purchase within the app for channels like Starz.
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Apple is trying hard to redefine, or at least refine, how we get our streaming content, so this rollout has to be perfect. As a result, we haven't seen too much additional work in the rest of the beta release. However there have been a couple of interesting tidbits.
A new Japanese calendar was introduced. Also, the as-yet-unseen Apple Card experience was uncovered by developers, showing how the physical card will sync to your iPhone just like a pair of AirPods.
What's Fixed
The only verified bug we've seen in this release is one that was introduced by the aforementioned calendar. It was patched up almost immediately.
But if you've had trouble installing iOS 12.3 on your iDevice, you may want to try again. Apple fixed a bug in this release that was preventing installation of the latest iOS on some devices.
What's Next
The slight shift in timing for the Public Beta release signals an acceleration in the timeline of the cycle. It's likely that we'll only see one or two releases more for iOS 12.3 before it's released.
Apple wants to get this into the wild ASAP while its Apple TV promises are fresh on everyone's minds (and maybe before the final episode of Game of Thrones airs). It's a big enough effort that it appears most of their development power is focused on one app. Clearing the decks will make way for other new features, like the Apple Card.
There's also more and more rumors trickling out about iOS 13 every day. An official dark mode? More animojis? Bring it on!
But we still have to wait for summer for the official reveal.
In the meantime, head to Settings > General > Software Update and get that latest Public Beta installed. I'll see you back here next week.
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